Where to food shop: Tips for freshers

After a few days of settling into your new accommodation, meeting your flatmates and enjoying the buzz around campus, you’ll probably realise that if you didn’t stock up your cupboards on your move-day, you have a problem.

From an experienced former Aston student, here are the cheapest, nearest and easiest places to do your food shopping:

📍 Easiest

Right there on campus (Aston Street) opposite Greggs and Ryman stationery, the ‘little Tesco’ has most basics and essentials – as well as a decent range fresh fruit and vegetables for such a small shop. You’ll pay over the odds in price for everything you buy, but it’s right there if you need it.

🗺 Tesco Express, Aston St, Birmingham B4 7ET

💷 Cheapest

If you’re thrifty and do not mind a little bit of a walk, there’s an ALDI supermarket in Newtown – just a 15-20 minute walk straight up from Aston’s campus. The area isn’t much to look at, but if you want to get a lot for your money, this is the place. There’s also a Greggs, mini rag market and a Farmfoods on the same site. It’s an easier trip when done with a friend, or with £1.50 in your pocket to catch a ‘short-hop’ bus back to campus with your shopping all packed up.

🚶🚶‍♀️ ALDI, High Street, Newtown, B19 2SS

⌚ Latest-opening

Cross the James Watt Queensway (where you’d usually walk into town) and you’ll find a Nisa Local squished between the takeaways. It’s as pricy as ‘Campus Tesco’ but it sells more ranges of certain products (household items, alcohol) – and is open mostly 24 hours– but check their website for exact days.

🌙 197-199 Corporation St, Birmingham B4 6SE

🙌 A bit of everything

Pop down into town and you’ll find the two-storey Tesco Metro on New Street. It’s averagely-priced, sells a decent range over the smaller stores, and is just a ten-minute walk down Corporation Street. It isn’t open as often as Express stores, but the walk is shorter and more pleasant than ALDI.